Leasing Criteria

We are pleased that you are interested in leasing one of the properties leased and/or managed by Big Dog Property Management, Inc. Applications are not approved based upon a ‘first come-first served’ basis, but the Landlord will accept the ‘most qualified’ applicants, should more than one application be submitted. Below are the guidelines and requirements of the qualifying criteria so that we can make a qualified determination based upon the following factors:

Residential Lease Qualifying Criteria

Complete the Residential Lease Application: Any prospective occupant 18 years of age or older that will be occupying the unit is required to submit an individual application. Inaccurate or false information will be grounds for denial of the application. A unit will not be held for an applicant pending completion of the background screening checks.

Application Fees: A non-refundable application fee of $50.00 per Applicant is due at the time the application is submitted. The application fee may be paid by online by credit or debit card only (no checks).

Pet Fees: Big Dog Property Management does not charge a pet deposit, but a non-refundable pet fee. The amount may vary upon Landlord, but typically it equates to a non-refundable pet fee of around $250. Most landlords do not allow certain breeds of dogs, including: Alaskan Malamute, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Great Dane, Husky-type, Malamute, Pit Bull, Rottweiler, St. Bernard, Wolf-dog hybrid or mixes of any of the above. Birds are not allowed. You will want to check with your real estate agent before submitting (and paying for) an application should you have any of those species. Snakes, spiders, ferrets and iguanas are NOT allowed for liability reasons. The following non-traditional pets typically are acceptable, but you must first obtain permission prior to bringing them on the property: turtles, non-poisonous frogs, domestic hamsters, hermit crabs, gerbils, and domestic fish. Fees for these non-traditional accepted pets may vary if applicable. For cats and dogs, Applicant must provide vet documentation of breed, weight, age, and that all shots are current. Applicant is also to include digital photos of pets as a part of the application process. Please email these docs to info@BigDogPM.com

Income: Applicant’s gross income must be at least 3 times the amount of the rent. Employees must provide the last 60 days’ pay stubs. Self-employed individuals must provide the last two year’s federal taxes and the previous 3 month’s bank statements (personal and business). Retirees are to provide documentation indicating monthly income and the previous 3 month’s bank statements. Please email these docs to info@BigDogPM.com

Photo ID: Applicants must provide a copy of their driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID with their application. Please email these docs to info@BigDogPM.com

Employment: A minimum of 2 years of employment history is required. A full-time student that does not meet this requirement will require either a co-signer or additional security deposit (amount to be determined on a case-by-case basis). The cosigner for any Application must also meet all of the Qualifying Criteria.

Verifiable Residency: Applicants must have at least 2 years of verifiable resident history. We reserve the right to deny an application if, after making good faith effort, we are unable to verify prior rental history. Applicant must be 7 years eviction free. Three or more late notices or NSF’s within a year will result in denial of application. Rental history reflecting past due and unpaid rent will be denied. Relatives are not an acceptable rental reference.

Occupancy Standard: Occupancy is limited to no more than two persons per bedroom, plus one. Example: 3 bedroom home = 3 bedrooms x 2 persons = 6 persons + 1 = 7. So 7 people are authorized for a 3 bedroom home.

Non-Smoking: All units (to include their garages) are non-smoking. If it has been detected that smoking has occurred in the unit or the garage, your security deposit will be used to partially pay to have the smell eradicated. You will be responsible for any additional costs beyond the amount of your security deposit.

Credit: A credit report will be processed for each Applicant. We are not allowed to provide a copy to you.

Automatic Decline: Applicants will be automatically declined for the following:

Evictions and/or monies owned to a previous landlord within the last 3 years;

If you have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and it has not yet been discharged;

If you have file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and have made payments for less than 12 months;

Insufficient income;

Default of court-mandated child support;

Criminal conviction of a felony, history of violent or sexual crime committed by Applicant or by other occupants (including children) who plan to live within the unit;

Unruly or destructive behavior by Applicant, Applicant’s children or Applicant’s guests;

Poor previous rental history of any Applicant;

Poor supervision of Applicant’s children;

Poor housekeeping;

Not properly maintaining the rental property or grounds;

Falsification of the Residential Lease Application;

Invalid social security number;

Failure to pay application fee; or

Submitting an incomplete application.

Property Acceptance: Prospective Tenant is accepting the property in an as-is condition. Requests for changes to the property must be submitted in writing WITH THE APPLICATION. Once tentatively approved, applicant must pay the security deposit (in certified funds) prior to our taking the property off the market. Once issued the lease, applicant must sign within one business day, or the unit will be released.

Rental Insurance: The Landlord’s insurance policy DOES NOT COVER your personal possessions. Tenants are required to purchase their own rental policy.

Fair Housing: Big Dog Property Management does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap or familial status (having children under the age of 18), sexual orientation or gender identity.

What’s Next?

It typically takes a couple business days to complete the background check. The typical delays are waiting for your current landlord and employer to respond. We will do our best to make this process as quick and painless as possible.

If your application is approved, the lease will be emailed to you via DocuSign, an electronic signature application, allowing you to review and electronically sign your lease. Big Dog Property Management is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm; therefore, all leases must commence during a normal work day.

We will turn off the utilities to each property on the day your lease begins. Therefore, it is your responsibility to contact the appropriate utility companies and request that service begin in your name on the first day of your lease. If you do not do this, you may not have utilities on the day you move in. We recommend that you allow plenty of time for the utility companies to begin furnishing service to your property. It may take up to several business days for service to begin, particularly during peak seasons or holidays.

Don’t forget to send in your ID, proof of income and pet info (if applicable). If you don’t submit this information, it will put a delay on the processing of your application.